Is double majoring a possibility in the AFA?

A

AFAhopeful6201

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My son is beginning the application process for AFA. His current goal is to double major in Physics and Astronautical Engineering but we are hearing that no one double majors at the AFA and that's not really even a thing. Can anyone provide feedback on if that is a viable option? He could always Major in one and Minor in the other but was wanting to double major. Thank you :)
 
Yeah totally, the other day I talked with a usafa grad who majored in Math and Physics. He said he validated calc 1,2, and 3 though and lots of physics classes overlapped with the math major so he just did what he had to in order to secure it.
 
Like others said, you can double major. The limitation is the number of credits you can handle in 4 years. Many will struggle to get either an Astro or a physics degree in 4 years, let alone both.

I was able to get 2 minors along with my single major and that was with a lot of validations and overlap between my major and one of minors.
 
Astronautical Engineering is (I believe) the hardest major at USAFA and heard it’s like single digits that graduate with that major every year.

My honest opinion is if he double majors in that AND physics it’s a death sentence.
 
My son spent his Doolie year declared as an Astro/Aero double major. He came into USAFA with about 75 college credits from HS and 1 year civilian college. He was well ahead and most of his classes were with upperclassman. He carried 21 and 24 credits that first year and took a class over the summer to reduce the load. This last fall he decided he wasn’t as interested in Aero and dropped it. He is much happier having a balanced life now. He can carry the minimum number of credits each semester instead of a crazy number of credits.

Double majoring is possible…just not easy.
 
Blue&SilverBear said:
Yes- I was a Political Science & Economics double major. It was difficult… some majors overlap more than others. I graduated with169 credit hours.

See page 115 here: https://www.usafa.edu/app/uploads/2023-2024-COI.pdf#page115
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169÷8 is over 21 credit hours per semester for reference. My load was similar. Possible but not easy. I would venture to guess that the credit requirements would be higher for 2 STEM majors vs. 2 fuzzy majors but that is easy to check out for yourself.
 
He will need to validate a bunch of classes to free up his schedule otherwise there isn't enough time.

Why physics and aero? They aren't that closely related and would be a huge amount of work. He might be better off to do a minor in a "soft" area to broaden his scope. A language, history, management, etc. It is something to consider.

My son validated 6 classes (I think, might have been 5) and is an aero major with a German minor. He is planning on a semester at the German military academy.

USAFA is a leadership school first, with a strong STEM program.
 
AFAhopeful6201 said:
My son is beginning the application process for AFA. His current goal is to double major in Physics and Astronautical Engineering but we are hearing that no one double majors at the AFA and that's not really even a thing. Can anyone provide feedback on if that is a viable option? He could always Major in one and Minor in the other but was wanting to double major. Thank you :)
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I also wanted to address the bolded above. It might be worth it for your ds to take a deep dive into academics at USAFA. Both the academics tab on the main site and the course of instruction handbook have a lot of information that may help him decide if USAFA offers the programs and opportunities that are important to him. USAFA academic programs are great, but not as exhaustive or flexible as you might find at some colleges, especially large universities with more students and no 4-year time limit. Below is the list of current minors offered. I was able to get a math minor when I went there a million year ago, but it is no longer offered. I agree with T-37IP's advice, but only your ds knows if that will work for him.

Airpower Studies
Global Logistics
Management
Robotics
American Studies
High Performance Computing
Russian
Arabic
Japanese
Space Warfighting
Chinese
Nuclear Weapons & Strategy
Spanish
Diversity & Inclusion
Philosophy
Sustainability
French
Portuguese
German
Religion Studies
 
99Gold said:
I also wanted to address the bolded above. It might be worth it for your ds to take a deep dive into academics at USAFA. Both the academics tab on the main site and the course of instruction handbook have a lot of information that may help him decide if USAFA offers the programs and opportunities that are important to him. USAFA academic programs are great, but not as exhaustive or flexible as you might find at some colleges, especially large universities with more students and no 4-year time limit. Below is the list of current minors offered. I was able to get a math minor when I went there a million year ago, but it is no longer offered. I agree with T-37IP's advice, but only your ds knows if that will work for him.

Airpower Studies
Global Logistics
Management
Robotics
American Studies
High Performance Computing
Russian
Arabic
Japanese
Space Warfighting
Chinese
Nuclear Weapons & Strategy
Spanish
Diversity & Inclusion
Philosophy
Sustainability
French
Portuguese
German
Religion Studies
Click to expand...
I wonder how many cadets see "Space Warfighting" and are just itching to do that no matter what their degree is? :) I know of at least two ROFL.....
 
My DD validated Calc 1 & 2, Physics 110, and Chemistry 100. That made it possible to double major in Operations Research and Applied Mathematics. She was initially interested in Applied Math and was told that she could swing the OR major due to the high overlap in courses so she decided to go for it. I think it was only possible because she validated the four courses. I think it would be very difficult to double major without much elective overlap and probably impossible without validating several classes. I believe only a small percentage of cadets double major. It is difficult but not impossible.

Your DS will take several placement exams during BCT and he will find out how many classes he validates at that time. He will then have until October of his C3C (sophomore) year to choose a major/majors. Congratulations on your son's appointment. He is in for quite an experience!
 
As an astro major (not at USAFA, but in a similar difficulty program and almost identical course load), don't double major. As an astro major, I can hold sufficiently nerdy conversations with my math and physics major buddies. You won't specialize in the conceptual aspects of physics, but you'll use a lot of the applications of physics, especially mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, gravity, etc. Don't overload yourself and make sure you set yourself up to get the best grades you can get because that matters significantly more than coming out with a second degree. Hell, get a perfect GPA and get a scholarship to go get a physics master's as a first assignment. If you overload yourself with academics, you'll most likely lose out on other important aspects such as leadership development, PT, having a social life, etc. If you want more info on both programs and to see the overlap, check the Course of Instruction that's published by the academy each year.
 
Astro and physics are two of the hardest majors here at USAFA with not that much overlap in terms of course material. Some majors are much easier to double in (aero/math is pretty common, CompSci/OR, etc). Astro/Physics is rare and would require overload waivers or a significant amount of validation (probably around 12-15 credits min). Keep in mind his career aspirations. If he is trying to go to grad school or a competitive program like ENJJPT, it may be better for him to drop a major and focus on keeping his GPA as high as possible rather than perform acceptably in both. With that being said, there's nothing stopping him from declaring double and dropping his lead preferred later on. Many many cadets do this with doubles and minors, especially languages. Also, a possible option is to major in physics and have his concentration be space physics. Definitely recommend reading more in the 2024 COI to look at his options.
 
I hope it's okay if I kind of piggy-back off this post. I am a '28 appointee, so like OP's son, I have plenty of time to decide my major. Right now, though, I am interested in double majoring in physics and biology. I am interested in both subjects and after graduation I am interested in attending either medical school or test-pilot flight training. My understanding is that I need to pursue bio/chem for medical school and I need to pursue math/physics/engineering for test pilot training. My current end goal is to be an astronaut (which I know is extremely difficult but I want to at least keep open a pathway there, whether it be med school or test piloting). I have 5s in AP Physics, Bio, and AB Calc, and I'm self-studying Physics 2 and more Calc...but I don't know if any of that will help me validate courses. Also I doubt physics and bio overlap a lot. So, is it feasible to double major in physics and biology? If not, how do people generally decide their major when they're interested in two different career paths?
 
bananafish said:
I hope it's okay if I kind of piggy-back off this post. I am a '28 appointee, so like OP's son, I have plenty of time to decide my major. Right now, though, I am interested in double majoring in physics and biology. I am interested in both subjects and after graduation I am interested in attending either medical school or test-pilot flight training. My understanding is that I need to pursue bio/chem for medical school and I need to pursue math/physics/engineering for test pilot training. My current end goal is to be an astronaut (which I know is extremely difficult but I want to at least keep open a pathway there, whether it be med school or test piloting). I have 5s in AP Physics, Bio, and AB Calc, and I'm self-studying Physics 2 and more Calc...but I don't know if any of that will help me validate courses. Also I doubt physics and bio overlap a lot. So, is it feasible to double major in physics and biology? If not, how do people generally decide their major when they're interested in two different career paths?
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I'm not sure how much overlap those two majors have. My guess would be very little, so you are talking about a huge schedule to get that done. I understand wanting to keep all options open as long as possible, but you have to be realistic about your abilities and have situational awareness. As you say, you have time to declare a major. Try to validate all that you can to try and set up for those double majors, but this might be the case where your going to have to make a choice of one of those, and maybe double major in something closer together. Kudos for shooting for the moon though!(pun intended)
 
bananafish said:
I hope it's okay if I kind of piggy-back off this post. I am a '28 appointee, so like OP's son, I have plenty of time to decide my major. Right now, though, I am interested in double majoring in physics and biology. I am interested in both subjects and after graduation I am interested in attending either medical school or test-pilot flight training. My understanding is that I need to pursue bio/chem for medical school and I need to pursue math/physics/engineering for test pilot training. My current end goal is to be an astronaut (which I know is extremely difficult but I want to at least keep open a pathway there, whether it be med school or test piloting). I have 5s in AP Physics, Bio, and AB Calc, and I'm self-studying Physics 2 and more Calc...but I don't know if any of that will help me validate courses. Also I doubt physics and bio overlap a lot. So, is it feasible to double major in physics and biology? If not, how do people generally decide their major when they're interested in two different career paths?
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You could do physics + premed required courses rather physics + full bio/chem sequence.

Seems like there's a lot of good info here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/premed/comments/5gc2ri/welcome_to_rpremed_heres_our_faq
 
Most add Math as their second Major. My kid passed and takes German as a Minor to work the other side of his brain.
 
I had heard about a Cyber Science and Computer Science double major, does anyone have any knowledge or experience about that? Thanks!
 
99Gold said:
I also wanted to address the bolded above. It might be worth it for your ds to take a deep dive into academics at USAFA. Both the academics tab on the main site and the course of instruction handbook have a lot of information that may help him decide if USAFA offers the programs and opportunities that are important to him. USAFA academic programs are great, but not as exhaustive or flexible as you might find at some colleges, especially large universities with more students and no 4-year time limit. Below is the list of current minors offered. I was able to get a math minor when I went there a million year ago, but it is no longer offered. I agree with T-37IP's advice, but only your ds knows if that will work for him.

Airpower Studies
Global Logistics
Management
Robotics
American Studies
High Performance Computing
Russian
Arabic
Japanese
Space Warfighting
Chinese
Nuclear Weapons & Strategy
Spanish
Diversity & Inclusion
Philosophy
Sustainability
French
Portuguese
German
Religion Studies
Click to expand...
My DRM, (dear room-mate) bless his heart, was a double major, Astro and Compsci. He graduated from some New York University. Huh?

Yep, busted out for grades, end of first quarter, Firstie year. You had better have your stuff together if you're going to double major, there's some serious wisdom in the above comments about minors.

If you're shooting for the moon, I.E. your're thinking about test pilot school and the space program, there are a lot of dudes and dudettes that made it without double majoring at USAFA.
 
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